


The Long Sleep

by mosslynx



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Denial, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Jealousy, This apparently, implied caveline and chelline, okay but what does cave johsnon actually... do?, painful halfbaked unsubtle foreshadowing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24930694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mosslynx/pseuds/mosslynx
Summary: Cave Johnson, jealousy, and the beginning of the end.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	The Long Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at 1 am just take it

Cave glared at the screen in front of him. It had a list of the names of test subjects who had managed to make it all the way through a testing track, currently preserved in cryogenic stasis, presented in neat, orderly rows for him to judge their fate.

Which ones would go to the next rounds of tests.

Which ones would go into long-term storage.

Death now or death later.

Perhaps never.

Either way, they would do a great service to science. What a concept! What a fate! To live forever, to serve science for eternity in death. He could think of no greater reward.

And oh, how all of these people deserved it!

Astronauts (they had caused a bit of a kerfuffle when they had been found missing but, well, it wasn’t their fault).

War heroes.

Olympians.

The occasional employee who had drawn from a reserve of strength theretofore unknown.

All of them worthy, except for _her_.

No one knew where she had come from, but she had shown up and blown every one of their architects out of the water, and then, once she was pulled for mandatory employee testing, had blown all the test subjects out of the water too.

She wasn’t just persistent, she was _tenacious_.

The lab boys had said perhaps even more so than him.

That wouldn’t be a problem-he _knew_ he was better-but, well.

They weren’t the only ones who had noticed.

It’s not like he hadn’t seen how Caroline’s eyes lit up during _her_ interview, how intently she had watched _her_ rapid ascent through the ranks of the architects, her almost _hungry_ observation of _her_ tests.

The way _his_ assistant had launched herself into _her_ arms, cheering and laughing, when _she_ became the first (the only) employee to successfully complete an entire testing track.

That night, they had left together.

Caroline hadn’t informed him of where they had gone.

In what he would later tell himself was a very calculated and informed decision, he jabbed the “Long-term” button.

She was a high quality test subject, and Aperture needed those now more than ever (especially considering his recent… _purchase_ ), but he couldn’t bring himself to take advantage of her talents.

There should be nothing else to distract Caroline from the science she loved so dearly now.

He turned his attention back to the list, but before he could continue his vital work, he was overcome by a fit of coughing.

He grimaced and took a swig of his water. This cold was simply refusing to go away. He could continue his work tomorrow.

He stood up and grabbed his briefcase, switching off the lights as he left his office.

Caroline’s was the only spot of light on the entire floor, now. She had been working since dawn, and if he didn’t let her know how much time had passed, she would probably be working until dawn as well.

He raised a fist to knock on her door, but hesitated.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the architect, the one she had, for lack of a better word, cherished.

The one whose potential he had squandered.

He turned away from the warm, yellow light of his assistant’s office, towards the darkness of the bowels of aperture and the haunting emptiness of the surface, and left without a word.

**Author's Note:**

> I just really love the idea that Chell and Caroline met before... everything. Shh, I know there's the potato from bring your daughter to work day, just ignore that.


End file.
